Retinal detachment prevents normal assembly of disk membranes in vitro.
The effects of retinal detachment upon disk membrane assembly in rod outer segments were assessed in Xenopus laevis retinas that had been maintained in eyecup cultures for up to 4 days. In these cultures, assembly of disk membranes occurred at a normal rate in regions of the retina that remained attached to the retinal pigment epithelium. In regions of the retina that were detached from the pigment epithelium, the assembly of new disk membranes either was abnormal or was inhibited. This result cannot be attributed to reduced access of cells in the detached retina to oxygen and metabolites. The experiments described here suggest that the apposition of the retina with the pigment epithelium is a necessary condition for normal disk membrane assembly in Xenopus retinas. This effect may be mediated by contact between the rod outer segments and the pigment epithelium, or by trophic factors in the subretinal space.
Kaplan
M W
MW
R. S. Dow Neurological Sciences Institute, Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center, Portland, Oregon 97209-1595.
Iwata
R T
RT
Sterrett
C B
CB
D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008566:Membranes / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D010786:Photoreceptor Cells / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012160:Retina / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012374:Rod Cell Outer Segment / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014982:Xenopus laevis
D005456:Fluorescent Dyes